


Munacan's Disease

by SilverArson



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Dizziness, Fainting, Fever, Gen, Hallucinations, Keith (Voltron)-centric, Sickfic, Team Bonding, Vomiting, blade of marmora, set during beginning of s4, team cuddle pile, wow i love and adore all of these characters bless
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-29
Updated: 2017-11-29
Packaged: 2019-02-04 21:44:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,547
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12780141
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SilverArson/pseuds/SilverArson
Summary: While on a mission with the team, Keith gets bitten by an animal. A trip to a cryopod should fix everything right up, but Keith is sick and getting worse and the team doesn't know what's wrong.





	Munacan's Disease

**Author's Note:**

> I had a blast writing this and I'm glad I got the opportunity to participate in VLD Tropesfest. Special thanks to the mods for pulling this together (and carrying it out fabulously) and a big thank you to YOU for reading! I hope you enjoy it!

Keith cried out as the mugki sank sharp teeth into his right hand. The mugki yanked and Keith toppled forward into the dirt with the tug, trying to keep it from taking some of his fingers. 

“Keith!” Hunk yelled. Keith’s ears rang as Hunk’s voice echoed inside helmet.

A harsh, bright blast slammed into the pale mugki’s head and it went limp. “Keith, did it pierce your thermosuit?” Lance blurted from his lookout perch.

“What happened?” Shiro demanded.

Keith pushed himself up with his left hand and forced the jaw of the four-foot-tall, nocturnal creature to separate. “I’m fine. Nothing the healing pod can’t fix. Plus, I’m ambidextrous.”

“Mugki aren’t poisonous, right?” Hunk asked as he hurried over to help Keith up. He waved Hunk away and stood on his own. Keith had come back from the Marmora base to help out because he knew the others were bothered by his regular absence lately, and now he’d gotten bitten. Things just weren’t going his way at all. 

“No, not poisonous,” Coran said, his voice crisp over the coms. “But they do have a nasty bite. Are you all right, Keith?”

Keith only spared a short glance at the pale, fleshy creature. It was bipedal, oddly enough, with arms that dangled down the whole length of its short body. “Yeah, I’m fine.”

“Hunk, make sure he doesn’t go into shock,” Pidge said. She, Shiro, and Allura had taken the higher part of the canyon trail as the six of them searched for a rare flower that apparently only bloomed once every fifty deca-phoebs and mainly grew in windy, deep canyons. Their petals opened up in response to moonlight, but apparently so did a few cranky creatures’ mouths.

“It’s just a bite, Pidge,” Keith said as he looked over his bleeding hand. Back on Earth, where cryopods were not a convenience, it definitely would have required stitches. “Don’t worry about it.”

“Keep an eye out for more mugki,” Allura warned from her own collecting spot near Pidge. “Remember to watch for their burrows.”

Keith shouldn’t have let himself get distracted by the large bush covered in coconut-scented, soft-petaled flowers, but he’d been collecting flowers in the same area for a good seven doboshes and nothing had happened. 

Hunk grabbed Keith’s forearm. “Let me wrap it up.”

Keith hesitated, not wanting Hunk to get a close look at the bite, but relented when he realized it would be stupid to run around bleeding freely. “Right. Okay.”

Hunk pulled a length of bandage from one of the small pockets on his suit’s belt and wrapped it carefully around Keith’s hand. Keith winced at the pressure. “Is that too tight?”

“No, it’s fine.”

Hunk tied off the bandage. “Do you need to go back to—”

“I’m  _ fine _ .”

Hunk lifted his hands in surrender. “All right, man. I believe you.”

And Keith believed it, too, for the next forty doboshes.  He and Hunk were able to collect three bags of suddy flowers, even though they had both become exponentially more suspicious of noises around them and stopped to look towards any odd sound. 

Then his stomach started to churn. Keith figured it was just exhaustion, maybe a little bit of shock or dropping adrenaline, and said nothing as the paladins wrapped up collecting the suddies. 

It wasn’t until they were back on the castle and Shiro confronted him to get a look at his hand that Keith said something.

“That’s a nasty looking bite,” Lance said, peering around Coran’s shoulder as he finished unwrapping the bandage. “That’s awesome!”

The other three paladins and Allura hovered uncomfortably close to Coran and Keith, and it made Keith all the more aware of his growing nausea. Keith grit his teeth to stop himself from snapping at them. They just wanted to make sure he was okay.

Coran ignored all of the others hovering around them. “Nothing a varga in the cryopod can’t fix up!”

“Keith, you’re looking pale. Are you all right?” Shiro asked, stepping closer to put a hand on Keith’s shoulder. 

Hunk’s eyes went wide. “Are you going into shock?”

Keith swallowed and stayed silent for a moment as he tried to gauge how safe it was to talk. “I’m just feeling a bit…sick.”

Lance smirked at him. “What, can’t handle a little blood?”

“Says the guy who panicked when he got blood on his garrison uniform after a nosebleed,” Pidge said, one eyebrow raised. 

Lance’s jaw dropped in utter betrayal. “Pidge!” The outburst only earned him a small shrug and a cocky grin. 

Allura frowned at them before glancing at Keith to see how their teasing was affecting him. His jaw was clenched shut, so she said, “Lance, Pidge, I need you both to come with me so we can begin the preservation process. Coran, you have things covered here, correct?”

“Absolutely, Princess,” Coran said, smiling and tugging at his mustache. 

She nodded. “Excellent. You two, let’s go.”

Lance eyed her suspiciously as he started following her. “It’s not complicated or dangerous, right? I mean, I can do it either way, I was just…” 

Pidge glanced uncertainly at Keith, who could only offer a small nod of assurance in return. She nodded back and hurried after Allura and Lance.

“Let’s just get you in the pod,” Shiro said to Keith. His gray eyes looked dark and his expression tired. “You’ll feel better afterward.”

Coran offered Keith the white pod suit. “Indeed you will, Number Four.”

Keith took the clean suit. “Right.” He started wandering off to the closest room, keeping his footsteps slow to avoid upsetting his stomach further. 

“Wait, do you need help getting your armor off?” Hunk asked. “That might be hard to do with one hand.”

Keith stopped, swallowing slightly before answering. “I guess.”

Hunk worked the armor off Keith’s arms first as Coran launched into some kind of dialogue Keith didn’t have the energy to pay attention to. Something about how he’d never personally faced a mugki before, but he’d had his fair share of gubblebug fiascos. 

Keith’s mouth started watering at an alarming rate as Hunk pulled the chest armor over his head. Keith ducked out and only just managed to turn to the left before acidic vomit pushed up and out his throat, splashing onto the pristine floor in a sickly yellow-ish color.

Hunk dropped the chest plate immediately and it hit the floor with a harsh crash. “Whoa, Keith!” 

Shiro wrapped a securing arm around Keith’s waist and rubbed his back as Keith coughed up another wave of bile. Keith’s stomach didn’t stop heaving until after the fourth wave.

He wiped his mouth on his thermosuit’s sleeve when he was sure he’d finished. His hands trembled, but he didn’t feel nauseated anymore. 

“Is that a…normal human response to being bitten?” Coran asked.

“Um, no,” Hunk said, eyeing Keith. “You all right, man?”

Keith nodded and stepped away from Shiro. “Yeah. Better now.” He tried not to think about how he’d just vomited in front of them so he wouldn’t blush. “Probably just…shock. I’ll clean it u—”

“Nah, I got it,” Hunk said. “Just get in the pod.”

Keith relented and went off to finish changing. He shivered as he stripped off his thermosuit and again as he slipped on the soft, cooler pod suit. He felt a little...drained. And still a bit shaky from vomiting. 

He said nothing when he got back to the others. The pod would help him feel better.

“Step in this one,” Coran said, gesturing to the only pod above the floor. Keith did, and as he turned around to face back out, he didn’t miss the hint of concern tugging at the corners of Shiro and Hunk’s mouths. 

Keith’s heart pounded. He didn’t appreciate the idea of being unconscious in front of everyone. “How long is this going to take again?”

Coran’s eyes softened. “Should only take about a varga, all right?”

Keith nodded, suddenly feeling sick again. The pod closed and Keith kept his eyes trained on Coran’s reassuring smile for a few heartbeats before closing his eyes and letting everything go black.

A hiss of air filled Keith’s ears just as light re-entered his world. He began tipping forward and his eyes snapped open and he snatched hold of the edge of the cryopod to catch himself. 

Hands caught hold of him, offering additional support. “Hey.” Shiro. 

Keith stood up straighter and Shiro let go of him when he was sure Keith had regained his balance. Keith lifted his right hand and studied the smooth, unbroken skin. 

“Your hand looks so weird without your emo glove,” Lance said.

Keith gave him an unimpressed look, but before he could respond, Coran piped up. “Good to have you awake and well again, Number Four.” He offered Keith a cup of water.

Keith’s stomach roiled as he took the cup. 

Allura smiled at him. “Now that Keith is awake, we can all work together on the preservation process for the suddy flowers. Lance, Pidge, and I got some done, but it will go much faster with all seven of us working together.”

Was it nerves making Keith’s stomach upset? Was he maybe dehydrated? Keith eyed the cup dubiously before lifting it to his lips and taking a small sip. It slipped cooly down his throat and he took another, larger sip.

He shouldn’t still feel sick. What was wrong with him? He pressed his hand to his forehead. Was it a little warm? He wasn’t sure. It could just be that he was chilled from the cryopod and his body was just starting to warm up. It wasn’t a fe—

“Dude, the water’s not poisoned,” Lance said, pushing his shoulder. “No need to drink it so daintily.”

Keith’s eyes flashed and he downed the whole cup. 

“Lance,” Shiro said, sighing a little. “Don’t antagonize K—”

Keith’s stomach convulsed and he didn’t even have time to turn around before the entire cup of water came back up, burning his throat with stomach acid and splashing all over the floor.

Lance swore and jumped out of the way as Pidge shrieked and someone else gasped. Reflexive tears squeezed out between Keith’s eyelids as he struggled to breathe between a violent set of dry heaves. 

When they stopped, Keith blinked at the tilting images of his shocked friends. “I don’t...feel so…”

Light came back to his eyes before he even registered it had gone. Hunk’s face hovered above him. “—eith? Can you hear me?”

Keith struggled to take in his surroundings. Still by the pods, but everyone was a bit closer now. He groaned and tried to move before realizing Hunk was holding him up. Hunk shifted his arms to help Keith stand up straight as his legs shook weakly.

The others talked loudly and frantically, making it difficult for Keith to keep up.

“—shouldn’t be—”

“—he barfed all over—”

“—emo fainting—”

“All right,” Coran yelled. The cacophony of voices fell silent. “Everyone step back, give him some room. Pidge, I’ll need help analyzing the information from his healing pod.”

“Yes,” Allura confirmed as the others stepped back from Keith. Everyone except Hunk, who lifted Keith up bridal style. Keith’s stomach flipped as he lifted, but he didn’t have anything left to throw up. “We need to work quickly to find out why Keith is ill. Lance, clean up this floor and go through decontamination. Hunk, let’s get him to the infirmary. Shiro, come with us.”

Keith struggled to stay oriented as Hunk walked, but the shifting surroundings and everyone’s out-of-sync steps only increased his dizziness. 

“Stay relaxed, Keith,” Shiro said from somewhere nearby. “We’ve got you.” His hand gripped Keith’s shoulder and Keith focused on the firm pressure. 

Hunk laid him out on a narrow bed near the door, being especially careful as he rested Keith’s head on the pillow. Shiro pressed his left wrist to Keith’s forehead. “He’s running a fever. Keith, can you tell me your symptoms?”

Allura tugged a blanket over him and Keith curled onto his side, trying to get warm. “Flu.”

“What’s that?” Allura asked.

“A viral infection,” Shiro said simply.

“Is it possible that’s what he has?”

“Well, maybe. I don’t know how he would have been exposed to the flu, and if he was, the fact that we’re not on Earth means it’s a strain his body hasn’t had before. But don’t the cryopods heal illnesses?”

“Generally, yes,” Allura said, looking down at Keith. “But it might be possible his mixed heritage made the cryopod less effective.”

“It healed his hand just fine,” Hunk pointed out as he dragged a chair next to Keith’s bed and sat down. “Why wouldn’t it be able to heal the rest of him? Illnesses are physical ailments. Unless this is all psychosomatic.”

Keith gripped the blanket tightly. Was he overreacting to being bitten? Had he been so frightened by the idea of it that he was now vomiting and running a fever? It didn’t make sense, but neither did the pods not working— _ especially  _ since his hand had healed. 

“I doubt this is psychosomatic,” Shiro said. “It came on fast and seems severe.”

Hunk must have noticed Keith’s hand gripping the blanket even tighter because he set one large hand on Keith’s shoulder. Keith shivered again and forced his grip to relax. 

“Keith, can you be more specific about your symptoms?” Shiro asked.

Keith closed his eyes and focused on his body for a second. “Weak, cold, still a little nauseated.”

“Sounds like the flu,” Hunk said, pulling his hand away. Keith sucked on his bottom lip and opened his eyes. Right, Hunk wouldn’t want to get sick. But the contact had been grounding for Keith.

“Dizzy, too. A bit,” Keith said.

Hunk frowned. “Still a flu symptom, but a little more...uh...severe.”

“We’ll make sure you stay hydrated and you’ll get better soon,” Shiro said, moving to stand behind Hunk.

Keith didn’t believe Shiro’s smile. “Allura?”

“Yes, Keith?”

“Am I going to be okay?”

The skin around her eyes tightened. “I need to speak with Coran. Get some rest.” With that, she turned and left. The door hissed closed behind her. 

Keith’s heart plummeted into his stomach and he curled up tighter, staring at the white edge of the bed. He was sick and no one knew what it was. What if Coran and Pidge couldn’t figure out what was wrong? What if Keith accidentally got someone else sick? What if he accidentally got  _ everyone  _ sick? All of Voltron destroyed from the inside by one of their own. With all the things they’d faced so far, that would be unfortunately ironic. 

Shiro and Hunk exchanged concerned looks. “Keith, you’re going to be fine,” Shiro tried again, reaching for Keith’s shoulder.

Keith started and jerked away. “Don’t touch me. I don’t want to get you sick.”

“Keith—”

“In fact, both of you should just go.”

Hunk’s jaw dropped. “Are you kidding me? We can’t leave you while you’re sick.”

“Allura said to rest and I don’t need help resting,” Keith said, rolling over to put his back to them. His whole body was cold and miserable, tired tears threatened to spill out.

“But we still won’t—”

“Get out.”

Hunk inhaled to say something else, but Shiro put a hand on his shoulder and he looked up at Shiro instead. “Keith, we’ll go if you want us to—”

“I do.”

“—but we’ll be back.”

Keith stuffed his face under the covers, refusing to answer. If he said anything else, he’d tear up and they’d both know that really, he couldn’t get his thoughts to stop spinning and he wanted someone to give him a rough pat on the back and reassure him everything would work out, everything would be fine, it’s just the flu and no one’s going anywhere.

Hunk stood, sending the chair scraping back, and followed Shiro out of the infirmary. Keith kept his eyes closed as the lights dimmed.

* * *

Lance had just finished cleaning up the floor when Shiro and Hunk returned. “What have you found so far?” Shiro asked, walking right up to Pidge and looking over her shoulder at the datapad.

“The pod’s scans show that Keith was sick going in and healthy coming out,” Pidge said, her glasses reflecting the datapad screen. “Clearly inaccurate.”

Allura turned to glare at Lance, who stood in the background listening. “Decontamination, Lance.”

Lance lifted his shoulders and one empty hand in a can-you-blame-me gesture. “I will, but I just want to listen to what they’ve found out. I deserve that much since I cleaned up after Keith.”

“You deserve to stay healthy,” Shiro said, his face serious. “Do as Allura says. The information will be the same when you get back.”

Lance threw his head back and groaned but did as he was told, taking the bucket and cleaning materials with him. He glanced over his shoulder before rounding the corner and disappearing from sight.

“Were you able to gather anything else from the data?” Shiro asked.

“It appears to be a viral infection,” Pidge said, her eyes darting over information as she scrolled through the data. She clenched her jaw.

Coran folded his arms and turned to face the others. The tension around his eyes made his crow’s feet more pronounced than usual. “We were in cryosleep for ten thousand years. The castle database’s information is simply not current enough to provide any of the information we need. Illnesses are always evolving and changing, and we certainly didn’t have all the illnesses in the universe listed even during the castle database’s prime.” His voice cracked and he cleared his throat before continuing. “In short, we don’t know what the illness is.”

Pidge flinched. “But we’re going to find out.”

Hunk stepped forward. “So how do we find out, then? We can’t just wait and see if Keith sweats his fever out. Remember what happens when humans are exposed to illnesses they haven’t developed an immunity to?”

Pidge’s fingers froze. “I know.”

Allura ran her hand over her own hair, careful to leave her bun undisturbed. “I am going to contact the Blade of Marmora to see if they have any insight. The rest of you paladins had best go through decontamination as well, just to be safe. You may have been exposed to the illness at the same time Keith was. Pidge, I’ll need you to join me as soon as you’re ready in case Kolivan has questions about human anatomy and immune systems.”

Pidge set down the datapad and nodded once.

“We’ll meet on the bridge,” Allura said.

“Who’s going to look after Keith?” Hunk asked, frowning at her.

“I will check on him,” Coran said, swiping one hand to close all the projected screens. 

Allura nodded, smiling gratefully at her advisor. “Thank you.”

Six doboshes later, Pidge ran onto the bridge. Her wet hair dripped onto her suit, but she paid it no attention. “Ready, Allura,” she panted.

“Excellent. Kolivan should be contacting us any minute now.” Allura had her arms crossed and her fingers tapped anxiously against her forearm. She usually held her composure better than everyone else, so the nervous tick stood out like mistyped coding to Pidge. She almost commented on it, but then the castle’s view filled with a video feed.

“Princess,” Kolivan said, dipping his head a little. He didn’t have his mask on but the rest of his suit looked just as pristine as usual. 

“Thank you for meeting with me on such short notice,” Allura said, uncrossing her arms and stepping forward. “The red paladin fell ill rather quickly and the cryopod did not heal it. Our database is ten thousand years old, so we need access to the latest information to identify what is wrong.”

Kolivan frowned and began typing on something off screen. “It must be serious if the cryopods were not able to heal it.”

“The cryopod data said he was healed,” Pidge said. “But he has vomited and contracted a fever since emerging from the pod.”

“And how long ago was that?”

“About twenty doboshes.”

“Symptoms?” Kolivan asked as he waved a hand to bring up a screen. It appeared as a white box in the bottom right corner of the video feed. 

Pidge watched the new screen scroll through illness information and thought over the things Shiro had mentioned. “Nausea, vomiting, fever, dizziness, fainting.”

Kolivan hummed. “I’m by no means a doctor, so I can’t officially diagnose, but I still find it odd that those symptoms weren’t treated by the…” His voice trailed off and his eyes narrowed. 

“What is it?” Allura asked, standing up straighter.

“I’m going to see if any of our doctors are available to speak with you now. In the meantime, I will begin sending over our illnesses and cures database. It will take a while, but I should be able to procure a doctor in the meantime and you will have the information available in the future. I will contact you again soon.” The screen went black.

“Not one for words,” Lance said from right behind Pidge.

Pidge nearly jumped out of her skin. “Lance!”

He grinned, clearly pleased with himself. “What? My trumpet fanfare is on vacation right now, sorry I couldn’t make a proper entrance.”

Pidge rolled her eyes. “Go dry your hair.”

“I wanted to know what’s up with Keith, but from the little bit I just heard, no one knows yet.” Lance looked questioningly at Allura like he wanted her to tell him he was wrong.

“Kolivan is finding a doctor,” Allura said, refusing to look at him. She pulled up a holographic screen and watched a loading bar start to crawl its way to the right. The three of them waited in silence.

* * *

Coran didn’t brighten the dimmed lights when he entered the infirmary, but apparently Keith was awake still because Coran didn’t make it two steps in before Keith told him to get out—only to choke on his own words and dissolve into a short, dry coughing fit under the covers.

Coran hummed disapprovingly as Keith groaned. “I need to do a few more scans, my boy, and make sure you aren’t dehydrated.”

Keith pulled the blankets down enough to see Coran, but kept his nose and mouth carefully covered. “Do you know what I have?”

Coran tugged at his mustache and smiled reassuringly. “We are still gathering data. But no sickness gets worse by drinking water!” He pulled a water packet, like the ones he'd give them during group training, out of a cupboard near a small sink and counter covered with various medical supplies. “Sit up.”

“I don’t want to get you sick.”

“Flubbinukl. Sit up.”

Keith had no idea what Coran had just said, but he gave in and slowly sat up. His arms shook as he pushed against the soft mattress. Coran noticed, but didn’t comment on it, and added “muscle weakness” to a mental list of symptoms. 

Keith sipped carefully, paying close attention to his faint nausea.  

Coran grabbed a small white device and pressed it to Keith’s forehead. “Ah, hold still,” he said when Keith flinched. Keith did as he was told and watched Coran’s expression carefully as he read the data on the device. “Mm. I have no idea how to convert our numerical system to yours or what temperature would constitute a fever for humans, but it there is a decent increase from your usual body temperature. More of an increase than when you undergo rigorous physical exercise.”

“I already knew I had a fever.”

“Yes, but now the computers know too.”

The door to the infirmary slid open and Shiro stepped in. The faint but sharp smell of decontamination soap reached Keith’s nostrils as Shiro took a seat next to his bed. 

Keith looked down at his water packet. “You shouldn’t be here.”

“I shouldn’t be anywhere else.”

“Don’t be a martyr.”

“I was going to tell you the same thing.”

Keith scowled and moved to set the water packet on the small table near his pillow, but Coran—with reflexes to rival Keith's own—swung his arm in the way and Keith jerked his hand to a stop, almost squeezing out the water. “Drink it all first!”

Keith wanted to say he was tired and he just wanted to lie down, but then he’d never be able to convince Shiro to leave. Keith could not be outdone by a cup or else Shiro would hover for at least three weeks, even if Keith got better. So, Keith sipped his way through the rest of the cup before dropping back onto his pillow and curling up in the blankets

Shiro and Coran said nothing as Keith let his heavy eyelids close and started drifting. His shivers subsided and he’d just begun slipping into a hazy dream when Lance burst into the infirmary, turned up the lights, and used his  _ outdoor  _ voice. 

“Keith! How are you feeling?”

Keith started and his hand went for the Marmora blade he’d left with his clothes in a spare room before changing into the pod suit. The sudden movement launched him into a coughing fit and Shiro pressed a hand to Keith's shoulder gently until he sagged back into the pillow with a scowl. “Shut up, Lance.”

Lance stopped by Shiro—who would  _ probably  _ save him if Keith lunged—and made a face at Keith. “I just wanted to know how you’re doing. Plus, Allura, Pidge, and Hunk are on their way with a Marmorite doctor.”

Keith stiffened and Shiro perked up, glancing at Coran for a second. Shiro asked, “A doctor boarded the castle?”

Lance squinted as he thought back over exactly what he’d said out loud. “Not exactly. It’s a video call and she’s on a datapad. Or her face is anyway. And Allura wants Keith awake for this.”

Coran nodded to himself and began gathering pillows from the long line of infirmary beds. “Excellent. Let’s get you sitting up then, Number Four.” Coran was still stuffing pillows behind Keith’s back when the other three entered the infirmary.

Keith’s eyes went straight to the datapad in Allura’s hands and she turned it around so he could see the screen. A Galra with short hair, narrow ears, and a pale gray robe stared back at him. “Greetings, paladin.”

Keith nodded, suppressing a rush of fever chills. He might be sick but he didn’t want to  _ look  _ sick. 

“You do seem more flushed than usual,” the doctor said. Keith frowned, but she continued without waiting for a response. “From the pod data the princess provided and the details I have heard, it appears you have contracted Munacan’s disease.”

Only Shiro, Coran, and Keith seemed confused by the news. Shiro rested his elbows on his knees and leaned forward. “What is Munacan’s disease?”

“The important details are that it cannot be healed with a cryopod, matches all of the young paladin’s symptoms, and can lead to death if left untreated.”

Keith’s dark purple eyes widened in alarm and he gripped his blanket roughly. “But it can be treated, r—” The word caught and he barely had time to bring up his elbow before coughing himself to tears. 

The doctor waited until the ensuing sniffles and eye-wiping finished. “It can. The princess said she is willing to bring you to us for medical attention if you agree to it.”

Keith’s gaze flicked up to Allura, who watched him intently. She said nothing as she waited for Keith to decide. Keith knew he had to do something to get away from everyone else and keep them from getting sick and the Blade would be able to help him, so he didn’t hesitate before saying yes.

The doctor nodded. “We have already begun preparing to receive you. We will see you shortly.” The video feed darkened. 

Less than ten doboshes later, Kolivan and the doctor stood with them in the castle’s infirmary. Keith felt pathetic lying there shivering in front of two massive Galra, so he did his best to get out of bed. 

“You don’t have to get up,” Allura said, stepping forward with her hands out. “We can wheel the bed out.”

Keith threw off the covers and ignored the harsh wave of cold. “I can walk.”

No one believed him. But no one stopped him. If he had enough energy to have an attitude, then that was a good sign. Unfortunately, though, Keith didn’t even make it out of the infirmary before collapsing.

Kolivan, who was closest, caught Keith before he hit the floor. Keith tried to gather his feet under himself and push Kolivan’s arms away, but his whole body was weak and drained. Not to mention his head spun from the slight fall. “I’m fine,” he slurred. “Just...got dizzy.”

A deep rumble came from Kolivan’s throat and he picked Keith up.

Keith yelped. “I’m fine. I can walk.”

Kolivan didn’t respond to the obvious lie, but the doctor did. “It is good that you are not sick enough that you cannot stand. However, you should not overexert yourself, especially since it seems you are experiencing muscle weakness.”

“In case you didn’t get all that, Keith, she means stop being a stubborn idiot,” Lance said.

“Lance,” Shiro said as Keith gritted his teeth.

Lance shrugged innocently. “What?”

“I’m going to cough on you deliberately,” Keith threatened. But with how small he looked as he shivered in Kolivan’s large arms, he seemed more pouty than anything else. 

“Whatever helps you sleep at night,” Lance answered.

Keith didn’t appreciate being carried through the Marmora base, not when he was supposed to be a Blade in training and he was trying to earn their respect, but he couldn’t do much to stop Kolivan. And he still felt dizzy and exhausted.

The Blade’s infirmary was darker in tone than the castle’s infirmary, which had the usual white and blue coloring in the rest of the castle. The Blade’s signature dark blues and grays remained prevalent in the spacious room. Beds stood in uniform rows against the longest walls and Keith tensed when he realized he would not be alone. A few Blades laid on the beds, some bandaged and some seemingly unhurt, all generously spaced out. 

A Galra wearing gray robes similar to the doctor’s led Kolivan to a bed beneath a domed overhang with a curtain gathered at one rounded corner, and Kolivan set Keith on the bed. Keith hesitated, glancing at Shiro and Coran. They both smiled reassuringly and Coran stepped forward to coax him under the blanket. 

“Set the light to alternate between green and blue, Okler,” the doctor said. The other doctor, or nurse did as she asked. 

The bulbs lining the underside of the dome slowly brightened to a gentle green. “What’s that supposed to do?” Hunk asked. 

“Colors all have psychological effects. Green soothes irritability and blue calms breathing patterns and heart rates,” the doctor said. 

Pidge perked up, hurrying to Okler so she could get a better look at the control system. “Chromotherapy!”

Lance eyed Pidge dubiously. “When was someone going to tell the green paladin about reducing irritability? She’s easily one of the most irritable.” 

“Lance, please,” Allura said with an exasperated sigh.

Lance immediately fell silent and Pidge stopped herself from responding with a comment that absolutely would have made Lance wither. 

Allura turned to the doctor. “Thank you for your help. We are in your debt.”

The doctor shook her head. “Anything to stop Zarkon. Besides, this will give us an opportunity to study the disease further and gather information about the human body.”

Keith coughed and his entire body shook with its force. 

“Is there anything we can do to help?” Shiro asked, unwilling to leave Keith’s side. 

“At this point, no,” the doctor said as Okler took a small piece of fabric and began wiping the side of Keith’s neck over the jugular vein. A scent eerily similar to rubbing alcohol reached Keith’s nose. 

Keith, looking a little pale, pushed Okler’s hand away. “What are you doing?”

“This injection will help your body heal faster.”

“It’s going in my neck?”

“Yes.”

Coran adjusted his collar importantly and held up a hand to stop Okler. “Human necks are quite frail. His upper arm may be a better choice.”

“I see.” Okler disposed of the fabric and chose another. “He will need to remove his healing suit, then.”

And Keith’s face was just as red as it had been ten minutes ago. 

“Of course,” Coran said. “Keith, unzip the suit enough to get your right arm free, please.”

Keith exhaled. “Right. Yeah. Okay.” He reached for the zipper on his back with clumsy, fumbling fingers and scowled when he didn’t manage to move it on his first try. Shiro wordlessly reached over and did it for him. 

“The medicine is also laced with a minor sedative to help you relax. It should not react badly with your genetic makeup,” the doctor said, flicking the syringe briefly. 

_ It just keeps getting better _ , Keith thought. “Will I be left alone?”

“No. You contracted the illness roughly four vargas ago and the illness will be entering its most intensive phase soon. It would be unwise to leave you alone.”

Keith’s tense muscles relaxed a little at that. He didn’t want to say it out loud, but he was scared. He felt gross, he was having a hard time thinking, and he just wanted to be healthy and okay again. He also really wanted hugs and someone else to be responsible for everything and tell him he’d be just fine. “Understood,” he said. 

Okler rubbed the cloth on Keith’s upper arm and the strong rubbing alcohol scent returned. It made his nose tickle and he barely had time to yank the edge of the blanket up over his face before he sneezed.

“ _ Chee! _ ”

“What was that?” Hunk asked, one eyebrow raised.

Pidge burst into laughter loud enough to make the other patients in the infirmary look over from their beds. “You sneeze like a kitten!” 

Lance laughed so hard he couldn’t even breathe enough to say anything. Keith, offended and embarrassed again, lied: “I don’t always sneeze like that!”

“So much pent-up angst,” Pidge said. “And his sneezes are so cute!”

Shiro chuckled and Keith glowered at him. Before Keith could say anything else, though, a sharp prick in his right arm made him go completely still. He didn’t move, didn’t even look at the needle. 

“There,” the doctor said as she stepped back. “It should help with symptoms and recovery.” Okler began tugging the curtains bunched at the rounded corner of the overhang around the bed. “You’d best rest now. I’ll need to debrief those of you that were not with the princess earlier when I discussed the illness. It would also be best if only one of you stayed at a time so we can contain the illness.”

Lance raised a hand. “I can stay.”

Keith’s eyes narrowed as Shiro helped him get his arms back through the healing suit’s sleeves. Okler finished pulling the curtains around most of the bed, leaving one side open for the conversation but enclosing the rest of the bed in a silky white curtain that turned blue as the lighting changed. 

Lance didn’t miss Keith’s look. “Hey, man, I can take care of sick people. And I promise I won’t draw on your face.”

“You’ll be fine,” Shiro reaffirmed as Keith laid down and began coughing again. This time, his cough was chesty and heavy. “If Lance draws on your face, I’ll give him extra training drills.”

“I already said I wasn’t going to draw on his face!” Lance folded his arms and huffed. “You all have no faith in me.”

Hunk nudged his shoulder. “That’s not true at all. We have complete faith in your character. Which means we know you’ll prank anyone whenever you get the chance.”

Pidge laughed. “And that’s the best quality.”

The three of them continued to joke and tease as the sedative kicked in and Keith’s body grew heavier. At first, he fought it and forced his eyes to stay open. But then Coran’s hand was on his shoulder. “Get some rest, my boy. It’s safe here and you’ll feel better when you wake up.”

Keith nodded, let his eyes close, and wondered if Coran ever had a child or if he’d been very involved in raising and caring for Allura. It was almost as if Coran had a second sense that told him what Keith needed. Coran kind of felt like the father he’d lost...was it years ago? Something about sand, isolation, a canopy of stars, an empty shack...something...about...was it a person or a thing?

Keith’s breathing evened out and he drifted off. 

In the hall outside the infirmary, the doctor faced Shiro, Coran, and Hunk with heavy resolve. “It is highly likely that the red paladin will not survive this.”

Shiro paled. “What? I thought you gave him a—a cure. I thought—”

“Patients generally heal better if they believe they have a chance. The cure will help some, but his body has never experienced an illness like this and he is deteriorating rapidly. We have provided him with the best care available, but ultimately, his survival is dependent on his own body. It would be best if you prepare for the worst. Also, wash your hands regularly and avoid direct contact.”

“There has to be something else we can do,” Shiro said, his face strained. 

“We will provide you with vaccines and immunity boosters to help prevent you from contracting the disease.”

Hunk shook his head, glancing at Coran for help. Coran’s face was pale. “But is there nothing else we can do to help Keith?”

“You can help him and Voltron by not getting sick yourselves.”

Shiro’s eyes flashed and he marched right back into the infirmary. Lance jumped when Shiro pushed his way through the curtains and Shiro froze when he saw the tears on Lance’s face. Lance sniffled and wiped at his eyes, clearing his throat. 

“They give you the news?” he asked as he folded his arms.

Shiro nodded and sat in the empty chair next to him as the light changed back to green. Shiro hated the way the light made Keith’s face look. “Keith never gives up. Keith will be fine.” 

Shiro wasn’t sure who he was trying to comfort.

“Yeah” was all Lance said.

* * *

The alarms went off when Allura was on bedside care. Quiet, insistent whines pervaded the curtained area and Allura lurched to her feet. Keith’s breathing had picked up and she’d tried pressing a cool rag to his forehead, but it wasn’t doing anything, it wasn’t helping, he was still burning up, his face was still so tense, he—

The curtains flew open and the doctor and Okler burst in. “What happened?”

“I-I don’t know,” Allura said, her hands shaking. “I think his fever has worsened, but…”

Keith whimpered and began to pant in his sleep. Allura immediately reached for him, rubbing the cloth over his cheeks and forehead.  “Keith, if you can hear me, it’s all right. The doctor is here and she...she can help.”

The doctor attached a needle to a syringe, quickly prepped Keith’s arm, and administered a clear liquid. When she finished, she checked monitors. “His fever is at a dangerous level, according to the numerical conversions and information the green paladin gave. 104.7.”

That meant nothing to Allura. “How can we bring it down?”

Keith began convulsing. “Help me turn him on his side,” the doctor said. Allura immediately jumped into action, helping roll Keith towards the doctor. Keith vomited.

Allura gasped and pulled her hands back reflexively before forcing herself to rub his back. He wasn’t awake and probably couldn’t feel it, but Allura had to do something to fight off the crushing sense of uselessness. Keith didn't wake and Allura blinked back worried tears as he finished emptying his stomach. 

“I'm going to get one of the other paladins,” Allura said. “They will be...more useful.”

The doctor simply nodded. “We will change the sheets. Remember to wash your hands and avoid touching your face.”

After doing as they advised, Allura hurried, head held high, to a large room the Blade had temporarily set aside for the six of them and waved Pidge out into the hallway. 

“How's Keith?” Hunk asked before Allura could duck out again. The others watched her intently.

“The doctor is with him,” Allura said before stepping away from the door to let it close. “Come with me, Pidge.”

Pidge hurried to keep up with Allura’s longer strides. “What’s going on? Your shift isn’t over. I mean, not that I don’t want to go sit with Keith, but you were so determined earlier to participate, I thought—”

“Keith’s fever is at 104.7 and he vomited while unconscious and I do not know what to do,” Allura said, the words tumbling over themselves in a sense of panic and disarray. “He asked me earlier if he was going to heal and I didn’t say anything because I did not know, and I still do not know, and his condition is only worsening and I cannot…”

Pidge put a hand on Allura’s arm. “I’m scared too.” Allura looked down at Pidge, who met her gaze sadly. “But we have to believe Keith will pull through.”

The doctor and Okler had changed the bedding and situated Keith again by the time Pidge and Allura arrived. Pidge checked the monitors. “We need to make sure he’s staying hydrated because he’s sweating it all out. Do you have IVs?”

“What are IVs?” the doctor asked.

“Uh...like a bag of water, mixed with some sugar or salt, that you hook up to a needle and feed directly into a vein,” Pidge said. 

“Ah, yes. We can do that immediately. Do humans not retain water well?”

“Uhhh...I’m not sure what the Galra version of good water retention is, so I can’t really compare human water retention to what you’re thinking, but I do know Keith needs some water.”

Shiro walked in as Okler hooked up the IV and he went straight to Keith with a short nod to Allura and Pidge. Allura frowned at him. “You took the last shift.”

“I know.”

“Pidge and I can take care of Keith.”

“I know.”

“Shiro.”

“I can’t sit around. I won’t get in the way, but I need to be here for Keith.”

Allura knew it probably wouldn’t make much of a difference because Keith was unresponsive, but she dropped it. Shiro sat on the side opposite from the IV and took Keith’s hand. Keith didn’t move. Or, his hand didn’t, but his eyes darted back and forth beneath his eyelids, watching fever dreams.

“Come get me when his body has absorbed the water,” the doctor told Pidge. “Or if he starts exhibiting the more extreme symptoms.”

Pidge nodded her understanding, but Shiro stiffened. “More extreme symptoms?”

“Hallucinations and delirium. Seizures. His human genes may also react to the illness differently, causing unexpected symptoms, or could increase the severity of normal symptoms. However, it is also possible that his human genes could improve his chances. We have no documented human cases of Munacan’s disease, so there is no way to be sure.”

Allura and Pidge already knew this information from the initial meeting with the doctor prior to transferring Keith into the Blade’s care, but the words carried more weight this time as they watched Shiro’s remaining composure slip from his face and shoulders. Shiro didn’t even answer the doctor, he just leaned on the bed, covered his eyes with his cybernetic fingers, and gripped Keith’s hand tighter. 

The doctor and her assistant walked away, leaving behind only echoing footsteps and Shiro’s deliberately measured breathing. 

“When were you going to tell me,” Shiro finally said. He didn’t remove his hand.

Pidge bit her lip and looked up at Allura. Allura straightened her shoulders. “It isn’t certain that he will experience any of these more extreme symptoms.”

“But you didn’t tell me about them.”

Allura wanted to defend herself, say it wasn’t her responsibility, it was the doctor’s. Say she was just as stressed as Shiro. Say she had been too scared to break the news. But she took a deep breath and, with Shiro’s own fear in mind this time, simply said “No.”

“And you didn’t tell me in the first place that this disease would likely be fatal.”

Allura clenched her jaw for a second. “No.”

“You didn’t tell me.”

Allura understood Shiro would have preferred to hear about it from her—someone he trusted and someone that also knew Keith enough to be personally affected by the news. 

“Shiro, don’t be mad at Allura,” Pidge said.

Shiro gritted his teeth. “I’m not mad at Allura.”

Pidge squinted at him. “Really?”

A tear slipped out from under his hand and Allura stiffened. Shiro let go of Keith to quickly wipe at his tears. “I’m not mad at Allura. I’m mad at myself. I should have been with Keith and protected him from the mugki. Because that’s how he got sick, right?”

Pidge, looking guilty now that she realized berating Shiro wasn’t the best response, said, “Yes, the mugki’s bite is how Keith got infected. But Shiro—”

“Please don’t.” Shiro refused to look at them. He didn’t have tears in his eyes anymore, but the skin around them was red with restrained emotion. “I know it’s not my fault. It’s not anyone’s fault. I get it. But Keith shouldn’t have to suffer like this, not when someone had the ability to stop it.”

Keith’s face looked flushed, even in the blue lighting, and bits of sweat caught the light like white-hot sparks on his skin. Allura studied Keith as she stepped around the bed and placed a hand on Shiro’s shoulder. 

She’d had a similar conversation with Coran shortly after waking up from cryosleep. She’d been angry and hurt by her father’s choice to seal her away when, if he’d let her stay, she might have convinced him to form Voltron and saved countless lives. “Regardless of what could have been or should have been, this is what happened. It would be best not to force yourself to live through other possibilities.”

Shiro’s shoulders quivered with trapped sobs. Allura wrapped her arms around him from the side, tipping his head onto her chest and holding him close. Pidge wandered over with heavy footsteps and draped herself over Shiro’s other side. 

Pidge refused to look at Keith. Tears stung the backs of her eyes, but she refused to let them loose.  _ Keith won’t die. Keith won’t die. Keith won’t die _ .

* * *

Coran joined Lance for his shift in the late hours of the night. The lights for the infirmary had been turned off and only faint guiding lights between the beds for doctors and nurses lifted the heavy shadows. After Coran’s eyes adjusted, he could make out Keith and Lance’s faces just fine. Other than the dark shadows cast over the planes in their faces.  

Lance could hardly stay awake. Coran had tried to encourage him to get some rest, knowing that Lance was not one for late hours and the stress of the situation had exhausted him as much as everyone else, but Lance was determined to stay awake during his bedside duty. 

Keith’s condition wouldn’t change whether Lance was awake or asleep, but Coran didn’t say that. Because Lance knew it, and he wouldn’t admit it. 

Lance woke up completely though when Keith started talking.

Keith’s eyes opened slightly and his breath hitched. Coran sat up straighter and glanced at the vitals displayed on a small screen. “Keith? Are you awake, my boy?”

“Mom?” Keith croaked before coughing harshly. 

Lance stood and hovered over Keith anxiously. “It’s me, Lance, and Coran. How are you feeling?”

Keith shifted in the bed and Coran pressed on his shoulder to keep him from sitting up. “Please don’t hurt her,” Keith said. 

“Hurt who?” Lance asked.  _ Hallucinations _ , he thought, his blood pumping faster. 

Keith let loose another chesty cough and Coran pressed a button to alert the doctor. He rubbed Keith’s shoulder. “It’s all right, Keith. No one’s going to get hurt.”

But Keith was already crying, his pupils skimming above the tear lines in his eyes as he watched something the others couldn’t see. 

“Coran, what do we do?” Lance asked, his voice high as he gripped the bed rails with white knuckles. 

Keith struggled against Coran’s hand, trying to sit up. “Help me hold him down. He might hurt himself.”

“Mom? Where is Mom? Where did she go?” Keith cried. He didn’t have enough energy to fight both of them and he sank back onto the bed, but his muscles remained tense. 

“She’ll be back in a minute,” Lance lied. “Just...close your eyes, okay?”

Keith’s eyes, glassy and unfocused, stayed open. “She said she’s coming back?”

“Yes! Yes, she’s coming back.”

Keith broke into full sobs and started coughing again.“She’s not...she won’t, she never does. Dad never does, either, and neither does Shiro.” 

Lance panicked. He’d said the wrong thing, he always said the wrong thing, he always did the wrong thing, he couldn’t even comfort this stupid—

“What happened?” the doctor asked as she hurried up behind Coran.

Coran spoke softly to the doctor, hoping Keith wouldn’t hear him. “He’s hallucinating.”

The doctor pursed her lips. “There is nothing that can be done for this. We will have to wait it out.”

Lance pounded the bed rail with a fist. “Are you  _ serious _ ? Do you even care?” A few of the patients in the infirmary started to wake, groaning and making their blankets rustle. 

The doctor’s eyes narrowed and Coran stepped in. “Lance, go find Shiro. Keith mentioned him and he might be able to help Keith calm down.” 

“What’s that going to do?” Lance demanded. “Keith needs medication or something. He needs help!”

“If you cannot control yourself, then you must leave,” the doctor said in a measured voice. 

“You’re supposed to make him better,” Lance snapped.

“Leave,” the doctor growled lowly.

The hairs on the back of Lance’s neck stood on end and he knew he’d crossed a line. He stormed out, not even turning back when Coran said his name.

Shiro was there not a dobosh later, with Allura, Pidge, and Hunk in tow, but Lance hung back by the entrance. Shiro hurried up to Coran at Keith’s bed, where Keith was still crying about something only he could see. “Keith?” Shiro said worriedly, resting a hand on his arm. 

Pidge hurried to the monitors and checked them. “His fever is at 102.5. Lower than before, but still high.” Beneath the danger zone, but still worryingly close. 

“It is not time for his next shot yet,” the doctor said. “It cannot be administered for a few more vargas.”

“Keith, can you hear us?” Hunk asked. 

“Where is Mom?” Keith asked, tears streaming from his eyes. 

Shiro shook Keith’s arm gently to get his attention. “Keith, it’s Shiro. I’m right here. So is everyone else.” He looked back at Lance and waved for him to come closer, but Lance shook his head.

Keith struggled to focus. “I don’t feel good. What’s going on? Where am I?”

“You’re safe,” Allura said, gently running her hand through his hair. His wet hair stuck to his forehead and she smoothed it away determinedly. “We’re here for you.”

“You’re a little sick but you’re going to be okay,” Shiro said.

Keith turned his head and looked at him. “Shiro?”

“I’m right here.”

Fresh tears filled Keith’s eyes. “You left.”

“No, I’m right here.”

“But you went to Kerberos. You left. Just like everyone else.”

“I'm here right now and I'm not going anywhere. I'll be here for you and I'm going to take care of you, okay? I promise.”

Keith coughed harshly and croaked, “You promise?”

“I promise.”

“We all promise,” Allura said, and Coran nodded. “We aren’t going anywhere. We’re staying right here until you feel better.”

Keith relaxed into the sheets. He could hardly think and foggy images kept whispering at the edge of his hearing, but his friends had promised they would take care of him. The soft, low light shifted from green to blue and he closed his eyes. “Okay.”

* * *

Keith’s fever broke mid-morning, shortly before he woke up. Allura, Shiro, and Pidge were asleep, with Pidge curled up at the foot of Keith’s bed and Shiro and Allura asleep in their chairs. 

Hunk propped him up with pillows so he could drink water Coran offered him. Lance, who had only approached the bed after Keith fell asleep last night, quietly asked, “How are you feeling now?”

Keith frowned. “Still tired and worn out. I don’t feel like I’m going to throw up though.”

“Excellent,” Coran said, keeping his voice low so he wouldn’t wake the others. “You fought well, my boy.”

“Am I going to get better?” Keith asked. “Or…”

He only remembered bits and pieces of what happened in the middle of the night. Faint voices and blurry images. But whenever he tried to recall more, an intense feeling of fear and...abandonment made his heart shake in his chest. He gripped his covers. 

“The doctor will be here shortly,” Coran said. “And I bet you an oflskump she has good news.”

“Is that an animal?” Hunk asked.

“No, no, no, no, no. It’s a food! A delicacy from a planet called Pudnel.”

Hunk was about to ask for more information, but the doctor and Okler entered the infirmary. All other thoughts and questions immediately fell away and Lance hurried to wake the others up. Shiro and Allura woke up immediately, but Pidge took extra work and only opened her eyes when she heard the doctor’s voice.

“What are your symptoms, Keith?” she asked.

Keith gripped his cup harder for a second. “I, uh. Tired. And I still have a cough.”

The doctor hummed to show she’d heard and turned away to study the monitors. “You have improved. The worst of the illness has past and you should be on a steady road to recovery, so long as you keep accepting medicine and allow your body time to recover.”

“Is he doing well enough that we can take him back to the castle?” Pidge asked. The bed bounced slightly as she jumped off of it, leaving Keith’s feet colder. 

“We need to complete a few tests, but if their results are positive, then yes.”

Keith didn’t let himself feel happy about the conditional news, but everyone else’s expressions lit up. “I’ll set up the infirmary!” Pidge announced. “Hunk, Lance, help me out.”

“The infirmary is already prepared to receive Keith,” Allura said with a frown.

“What? No, Lance wrecked it last night.”

Lance’s jaw dropped. “N— _ ouch _ . Yes, yeah! It’s a mess...everywhere.”

Coran winked at them. “Ah, best go get it ready then.” The three of them hurried away before Shiro and Allura could tell them no. 

The tests results brought more good news. Only then did Keith release the tension he didn’t realize he’d been holding in his back and neck. Coran patted Keith’s shoulder and grinned. “You owe me oflskump!”  

The whole trip back to the castle mainly consisted of Shiro and Allura telling him, in at least thirty-six different ways, to take it easy, rest up, lounge, don’t stress, recline, get lots of sleep, stay in bed, enjoy some relaxation, have some leisure time, put your feet up, don’t worr—

“Okay, I get it!” Keith yelled finally. It was bad enough that Kolivan had seen him off and now, with that embarrassment still fresh, he was being babied. “I won’t even  _ think  _ about physical activity!”

Allura’s shocked expression quickly brightened into laughter. “My apologies, Keith. You can take care of yourself.”

“We were worried about you, Keith,” Shiro said. “We just want you to be okay.”

Keith deflated. “Yeah. Sorry. I know.”

“It’s all right, Number Four,” Coran said, fiddling with his mustache. “With some rest, you’ll feel less irritable!”

For the first time in over twenty-four vargas, Keith laughed. 

“ _ Surprise! _ ” Hunk, Pidge, and Lance screamed when Keith made it back to the infirmary. Keith immediately turned to leave, but Hunk and Lance caught hold of him and pulled him back in. Keith yanked one arm free, but then Shiro and Allura started all over with take it easy, relax, no strenuous activities, don’t— 

Hunk and Lance tipped Keith onto the floor and Keith yelped, but instead of hitting the metal floor, he landed on a mattress absolutely covered in pillows and blankets. He tried to push himself back up, but his elbow couldn’t find purchase. 

“Celebratory Keith-is-alive cuddle!” Hunk yelled.

“No, no, don’t touch me!” Keith yelped, scrambling to sit up. “You’ll get sick!”

“Your fever’s gone, it’s not contagious anymore,” Pidge corrected. 

Keith gave in and let himself be surrounded by friends, at least three hundred blankets, and roughly five hundred pillows. There, at home in the soft mounds and listening to gentle breaths and quiet snores, he rested.

**Author's Note:**

> This work is part of [VLD Tropes Fest](http://vldtropesfest.tumblr.com) | Comments and Kudos are appreciated |  
> Buy me a [kofi](https://ko-fi.com/P5P0BQ48)? :D Any donations are greatly appreciated and motivate me to write more.


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